The Power of Many - Minnesota: May 2017

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Wednesday 5/31 Call to Action

Wednesday
Oh boy, is there a lot going on in the news. But how is that different than any other day since November, right? Here are some topics that I found to be handy for taking some action.

1. Governor Dayton
Minnesota is a great state because of leaders like Governor Mark Dayton. The man knows what is right and is not afraid to fight for it.
The tax bill was passed without Gov. Dayton’s signature. The GOP inserted a “poison pill” item into the bill without telling anyone. This item would eliminate funding to the Department of Revenue in FY 2018 and ‘19 if the tax bill did not go through. In a bold move, Dayton line-item vetoed funding for the House and Senate in FY 2018 and ‘19 and will only restore funding if the legislature agrees to specific terms.

Gov. Dayton’s letter to Speaker Daudt and Maj. Leader Gazelka:http://mn.gov/gov-stat/pdf/2017_05_30_Letter_To_Leaders.pdf

Here’s a letter with descriptions of some of his line-item vetoes:http://mn.gov/…/2016_05_31_Letter_Line_Item_Veto_Chapter_18…
I am sure Gov. Dayton will face immense backlash for his decision to do this. Today is the day you need to contact him and give him your support. If you have a GOP state representative or senator, please call them and let them know you agree with Gov. Dayton’s move.

2. Health Care
Since our U.S. legislators are home this week, it’s a good time to make an office visit or a phone call to discuss the American Health Care Act. Here are some tools for you to use.
Let us not forget that the GOP has been working to sabotage the Affordable Care Act since the day it was enacted. The idea that the ACA is “collapsing under its own weight” is simply not true. The GOP has made decisive moves to ensure it would not fulfill its potential.

Even the insurance company, Blue Cross Blue Shield admits that it has increased rates because the GOP refuses to fund cost-sharing reductions.https://www.forbes.com/…/blue-cross-plan-puts-23-obamacar…/…

Combine that with the fact that most Americans still believe that the AHCA is a shoddy replacement of the ACA. https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/poll-most-americans-want…/…

Don’t forget, the Senate is busy working on their own version of the AHCA behind closed doors with little to no input from voters. Luckily, Minnesota has fantastic senators. It doesn’t hurt to remind them to fight for us. Here is some information from Indivisible Guide: https://www.indivisibleguide.com/…/gop-misdirection-senato…/

3. Make Change with your $$
I am sure many of you are aware of Sleeping Giants, Grab Your Wallet, and Media Matters. I am starting to believe that the most effective tools we have in our arsenal to fight the Trump agenda are the media and our dollars.

Check out this tweet from Shannon Coulter of Grab Your Wallet:https://twitter.com/shannoncoulter/status/869737634867822593

These groups have been instrumental in disrupting Sean Hannity’s show on Fox. Unfortunately, Hannity is trying to fight back and advertisers are starting to capitulate.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/usaa-dropped-hannity-ami…/…

Hannity is also trying to get his supporters to boycott The Rachel Maddow show. http://www.salon.com/…/sean-hannity-is-now-supporting-a-bo…/

If you find some time in your day, check out these groups and see what they are all about.

Grab Your Wallet:https://grabyourwallet.org/Shop%20These%20Companies.html
Sleeping Giants: https://www.facebook.com/slpnggiants/ or https://twitter.com/slpng_giants…
Media Matters: https://www.mediamatters.org/

Franken-202-224-5641
Klobuchar-202-224-3244
House of Representative switchboard: (202) 224-3121
MN Legislators: https://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/legislators
Resistbot: https://resistbot.io/
Governor Dayton- https://mn.gov/governor/contact-us/

Out and About

Wednesday 5/31 6=7:30 pm
St. Cloud, Bloomington, or Northfield
#ThisisMedicaid will host community conversations about Medicaid
https://twitter.com/thisismedicaid/status/867445116549689350

Thursday 6/1, 5:30- 8:30 pm
SD54 Meet DFL Candidates for Governor
Cottage Grove VFW Red Barn located at 9260 E Point Douglas Rd S, Cottage Grove
https://www.facebook.com/events/237820063364313/?acontext=%7B%22source%22%3A4%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22null%22%7D&source=4&action_history=null

Thursday 6/1, 7-9 pm
LWV Dakota County Healthcare Forum
Nativity Episcopal Church
15601 Maple Island Rd, Burnsville, Minnesota 55306
https://www.facebook.com/events/1932441393637471/?acontext=%7B%22source%22%3A4%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22null%22%7D&source=4&action_history=null

Saturday 6/3 10 am-12:30 pm
Action Together Twin Cities - Summer Action Fair
Robert Bruininks Hall
222 Pleasant St SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
https://www.facebook.com/events/1887301198176093/?acontext=%7B%22source%22%3A4%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22null%22%7D&source=4&action_history=null

The Beatles - A Day In The Life

A Day in The Life The Beatles 1 Video Collection is Out Now. Get your copy here: http://thebeatles1.lnk.to/DeluxeBluRay “If you listen to my playing, I try t...

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Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Tuesday 5/30 Call to Action

There's been no shortage of news, state and national, this weekend. The House and Senate are on Recess this week.

For a simple, straightforward call to action, read no further. Oppose the RAA. Call your senators and house members.
https://www.indivisibleguide.com/…/raa-worst-bill-youve-ne…/

It’s called the Regulatory Accountability Act of 2017 (RAA), and it’s an extremely dangerous bill that the Senate will soon vote on. The RAA will impact nearly every American under the guise of a “harmless” procedural change. Introduced by Senators Portman (R-OH) and Heitkamp (D-ND), the bill changes long-standing rules on how federal agencies regulate everything from food safety to toxic chemicals to equipment failure at nuclear power plants—things that keep us all safe. Republicans are quietly ramming this bill through Congress and we have to act quickly to stop them.

According to Axios (and these things are often false when leaked), the president plans to pull out of the Paris Climate Change Agreement.
https://www.axios.com/scoop-trump-tells-confidants-he-plans…

There have been a couple stories about Trump son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner's attempts to use Russian communications to set up a back channel between Putin and the campaign.
https://www.reuters.com/…/us-usa-trump-fbi-kushner-exclusiv…
https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/520a14b4-422d-11e7-9869-ba…

In his overseas trip, the president couldn't reaffirm the mutual defense portion of the NATO agreement, a move that breaks with 70 years of American foreign policy, and that could upset the post-WW II world order.
http://www.cnbc.com/…/trump-does-not-mention-support-for-ar…

Finally (or at least as much as I could track), in a particularly articulate moment, the president has found a new term for terrorists: "losers."
https://www.theatlantic.com/…/…/05/trump-isis-losers/527925/

Out and About

Wednesday 5/31 6=7:30 pm
St. Cloud, Bloomington, or Northfield
#ThisisMedicaid will host community conversations about Medicaid
https://twitter.com/thisismedicaid/status/867445116549689350

Friday, May 26, 2017

Friday 5/26 Call to Action

Friday
You have made it through another week. Just like this others, this one was jam packed with so many things. Will we ever have a slow news week again?

Minnesota legislators finished up their special session in the wee hours of the morning. What an exhausting few weeks it has been for many of you. I commend the senators and representatives that put their personal lives aside to fight for the good people of Minnesota. Same goes to those of you who made it out to the Capitol, called, or wrote letters to support them. This session has been incredibly difficult to follow and comprehend for me. I admire your ability to pick through all the information and get to the meat of these bills. I am so thankful for you and for our fantastic governor, Mark Dayton. He is the ultimate safety net for Minnesota.

Here’s an article on Dayton’s veto record: https://www.minnpost.com/…/governor-no-dayton-poised-claim-…

Check out this article from the StarTribune for a brief overview of what’s been going on at the Capitol. http://www.startribune.com/budget-debates-set-to-continu…/…/

This quote makes me scratch my head, “The tax bill lawmakers completed on Thursday divides $650 million in tax breaks among Social Security recipients, Minnesotans with student loans, parents with child care costs, business property owners, farmers and SMOKERS.” Smokers seems like a non-sequitur. I am wondering if it’s there to appease the tobacco lobbyists.

Below is an overview from the great people at Indivisible Minnesota Local. They are an excellent source of local legislative information. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to check them out. Here’s their website:http://indivisibleminnesotalocal.org/

"SPECIAL SESSION WRAP-UP: It was a late night, filled with twists and turns (some of them very inside baseball and...well, frankly weird.) First, let me discuss the mostly uncontroversial.
Bonding passed with overwhelming majorities in both House and Senate, not too surprising because it allows all members to say what great projects they are bringing home to the district.
That was it in terms of relatively non-controversial items. Some bills did get Dem votes like HHS, primarily because the GOP Senators were down a few members (which meant they needed Dem votes to pass their bills). What did that mean? That meant that some pretty bad policy stuff was pulled out of the bills before final passage....but…
Govt. ops eliminated funding for the Office of the Economic Status of Women and underfunded cybersecurity (primarily because the Governor was given a choice between that and funding other agencies core administrative functions).
The education bill includes a new tier of licensing that teacher groups expressed concerns about.
The tax bill had lots of goodies but raises concerns about potential structural deficits.
Transportation budget did not do transit any favors and relied on more general funds than ever (instead of using dedicated funding as was typical).
HHS bill used a lot of one time money, raided funds and shifts to counties.
The employment practices bill with the nasty preemption language was passed (Gov. said he would veto but give him a call)
And before special session, the public safety bill was passed with provisions that would prohibit the Dept. of Public Safety from issuing licenses to undocumented immigrants.
And all of these budget bills occurred in the context of a surplus...yes a surplus...but relied on the type of budget gimmicks one normally see in deficit years.
Oh and all of this occur in an even less transparent environment than veteran observers have seen. Unless we push back on that trend, the voice of you...citizens...will erode and diminish.
For all of those reasons, some folks are urging the Governor to veto some or all of the bills passed. If you feel the same way, you have one last time to weigh in with the Governor. Give him a call or send him an email. https://mn.gov/governor/contact-us/
After your calls and emails, take a (short) break but then get back to resistance. We'll have next steps to share.
Thank you for your efforts. This session could have been a lot worse absent your work."

Here’s some great news. The “stand your ground” gun bill did not make it to the governor’s desk: http://www.twincities.com/…/minnesota-gun-rights-legislati…/

Here’s a list of some of the projects that were funded:http://www.twincities.com/…/here-are-building-projects-min…/

Your call to action today is to contact Governor Dayton and your legislators (if you like the work they did) and thank them for their efforts. If you don’t like what your legislators did, you can tell them that too. How lucky are we to live in such a wonderful state? The standard of living in Minnesota far exceeds much of the country. I support those whose agenda involves keeping it that way.

Do you have more information about this legislative session to share? Please do so in the comments!

Out and About

Wednesday 5/31 6=7:30 pm
St. Cloud, Bloomington, or Northfield
#ThisisMedicaid will host community conversations about Medicaid
https://twitter.com/thisismedicaid/status/867445116549689350

USA State Song: Minnesota - Hail! Minnesota

"Hail! Minnesota" (also simply called "Minnesota" in early years) is the state song of Minnesota, and a variation is used as a school song of the University ...

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Thursday, May 25, 2017

Thursday 5/25 Call to Action

Thursday

1. Today’s Call to Action is easy, thanks to the CBO score which reveals how truly awful the American Health Care Act is for many Americans. It seems most Republican representatives are being pretty darn quiet since the CBO’s release yesterday. They must understand that this does not put them in a good light.

Here is a good article which gives you the highlights of the CBO report.http://www.politico.com/…/cbo-obamacare-repeal-health-care-… In general, if you you are a young, healthy male who earns a good income you will be fine. If you are older or a female you may not like what’s to come.

Here’s more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/81a42648-40b0-11e7-8c25-44…

Or this: https://www.nytimes.com/…/cbo-has-clear-message-about-loser…

Feeling like you would like to read the CBO report yourself? Here it is:https://www.cbo.gov/…/115th…/costestimate/hr1628aspassed.pdf

Today is a great day to call your representative and ask their opinion on this CBO report, especially if they voted “yes” for the AHCA. Are you feeling bold? Write a letter to your local paper about it!

2. More on the Budget
Yesterday, Betsy DeVos testified before Congress on Trump’s budget proposal. She is advocating for some bold changes in the education system. Even if you don’t have children that attend public schools, we all need to push for a vigorous education system for the benefit of our country. Read this article here: http://www.npr.org/…/here-s-what-betsy-devos-said-today-on-…, or watch the video clip. School vouchers allow schools to discriminate against groups of children. This will never do! Please call your representative and tell them the proposed changes in education won’t work.

3. Net Neutrality
Do you enjoy unfettered access to things on the internet? Me too! The FCC does not agree. There is still time to put in a public comment to the FCC. Check out this article that walks you through the steps to do so.
http://www.businessinsider.com/fcc-net-neutrality-rules-h…/…

Wednesday 5/31 6=7:30 pm
St. Cloud, Bloomington, or Northfield
#ThisisMedicaid will host community conversations about Medicaid
https://twitter.com/thisismedicaid/status/867445116549689350

Rep. Clark (D-MA) asks to Education Secretary DeVos about discrimination (C-SPAN)

Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA) to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos: “I am shocked that you cannot come…

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Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Wednesday 5/24 Call to Action

Wednesday
You’ve made it to the middle of the week! Hopefully we will see some sunshine today. My dog sure hopes we do.

1. America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again (blech)

Yesterday we discussed how this awful budget proposal will have disastrous affects on social programs like Medicaid and food assistance. Let’s learn more.

Environment: The new budget proposal will cut the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget by 33%. One in five EPA employees will lose their jobs. No more funding would go to the Clean Power Plan or for climate change research. Minnesotans like us should know that funding to keep the Great Lakes clean and healthy will be scrapped. The list goes on. If you can stomach it, check out this article here:https://www.theguardian.com/…/trump-budget-cuts-climate-cha…
Or this: https://insideclimatenews.org/…/leaked-donald-trump-budget-…

Scientific Research: The budget proposal includes a $5.8 billion cut to the National Institutes of Health. It would also slash public health funding as well as money for the Center for Disease Control (This particular cut seems so counter-intuitive to me. Multi-drug resistant infections and pandemics are an actual threat to the health and security of America; more so than ISIS some would argue. The CDC is our defense against that!) Cuts to the FDA and HHS. The list goes on and on. Read about it here:
http://www.latimes.com/…/la-sci-sn-trump-budget-medical-res…

Or here: http://www.pbs.org/…/trumps-budget-proposal-means-science-…/

The thing about the budget is that it must be passed by the House and Senate. This is where you get involved. We need to make our voices loud and clear that this budget is unacceptable. The House will vote on the budget first (sometime in June?) so start with them first, especially if your MoC is a GOP.

The Indivisible Guide has provided some good talking points that will help you feel confident when you call. https://www.indivisibleguide.com/…/trumps-budget-need-know/…

Are you a numbers person? Word on the street is that there are some major math mistakes in Trump’s new budget proposal. To the tune of $7 billion. Could it be true? Check out this Twitter thread.
https://twitter.com/sethhanlon/status/866843967295561729

Hate calling? You can always use Resitbot (see below) or Twitter. Add @IndivisibleMN and I will do my best to retweet you.

Our GOP MoC’s should be worried. New Hampshire just flipped a state senate seat from R to D in a special election yesterday.http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/new-hampshire-d…/…/2623994 If Lewis, Emmer, and Paulsen were smart, they would start to listen to their constituents. Change is upon us.
Here is a link to the full text of the budget if you would like to read it yourself. http://www.npr.org/…/520379061/read-president-trumps-budget…

2. Shout Out to the Night Owl Resistors
Many of you may be feeling awfully groggy today because you spent the majority of your sleeping hours at the MN Capitol supporting legislators as they struggled through what seems to be a ridiculous end of session flurry of last minute, top secret bills. Thank you for sacrificing to represent us. Your efforts did not go unnoticed by me. A great way to catch up on the changes that are happening in state government it to check out Indivisible Minnesota Local https://www.facebook.com/groups/MinnesotaIndivisibleLocal/, or on Twitter #mleg

Out and About

Elvis Costello & The Attractions - (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding

Music video by Elvis Costello & The Attractions performing (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love…

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Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Tuesday 5/23 Call to Action

Tuesday
Today is one of those days when you go to post your Call to Action and it disappears into the void, never to be found again. So here is my second attempt at today’s Call to Action. It’s funny, the news has changed even since I looked at it a few hours ago. These are crazy times!

1. Budget
Trump is set to announce his budget today. The word is he will be cutting 3.6 trillion dollars over the next 10 years. These proposed budget cuts will fall onto the backs of the poor by slashing things like Medicaid, education, food assistance and anti-poverty programs, while giving tax cuts to the richest in America. No successful country has become more successful by denying its people the tools to survive. This is not a proud moment. But that’s why we are here- to fight! For today, let’s educate ourselves the best we can so we are ready to get down to business in the next few weeks.

Here is a good article from The Washington Post:https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/69dbdb5e-3f1c-11e7-adba-39…

Ironically, the new budget is set to affect many of the areas where Trump garnered the most support.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/69dbdb5e-3f1c-11e7-adba-39…

Education will take a big hit with this new budget. Funding for education, after school programs, and student loans will all be affected. Pair this up with DeVos’ new education philosophy and it sound like a recipe for disaster.
Read more here: http://www.npr.org/…/president-trumps-budget-proposal-calls…

Here is what DeVos said at a speech in Indiana. As we discussed last Friday, research shows that school vouchers do not work.http://abcnews.go.com/…/ed-secy-devos-pushes-school-choice-…

The budget is also set to slash the EPA and scientific research. We will focus more on that tomorrow.

2. David Bernhardt
Trump loves to appoint adversaries to positions of importance. The nomination of David Bernhardt to deputy Interior secretary is no different. If you enjoy things like a healthy planet, Mr. Bernhardt would not be your first choice. Read about him here:
http://www.latimes.com/…/la-me-trump-bernhardt-20170517-sto…

Luckily, we have a senator who is not afraid to tell it like it is. Check out Sen. Franken in this video clip here:
https://www.facebook.com/senatoralfranken/videos/1365512250201320/?autoplay_reason=all_page_organic_allowed&video_container_type=0&video_creator_product_type=2&app_id=2392950137&live_video_guests=0

Call Sen. Franken today and thank him for asking the important questions.

3. Senator Orrin Hatch Needs Your Input!
Topher Spiro has graciously shared a letter from Sen. Hatch. The senator is looking for “select” stakeholders to share their thoughts on the American Health Care Act. Since we all pay Sen. Hatch’s salary, I think that we fall into that category. Please email the senator and let him know your thoughts on TrumpCare. HealthReform@Finance.senate.gov The deadline is today, so tarry not!
Check out Topher Spiro’s tweet here:https://twitter.com/TopherSpiro/status/865664030542659584

Out and About

Finally, I feel like I need a little Lizzo to get me going today. I debated whether or not to post this video because it contains some “bad words”. But, I figure we all can handle a few swear words, right? I love Lizzo because she sets the standard on body positivity, loving yourself and accepting others as they are. She is not afraid to push the boundaries of what is normal and she thinks outside the box. I know a few public servants who could learn a lesson from her. Did I mention, she’s one of us?

Lizzo: 'Deep' SXSW 2017

If you've only heard Lizzo's hit "Good As Hell" — and if you haven't, listen now, I'll wait — you might think the Twin Cities singer is a funny and ingratiat...

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